The SBSI series of vision sensors from Festo (Hauppauge, NY) feature rugged IP67 housing, built-in lighting, and EtherNet/IP capability. SBSI sensors, which read 1D and 2D bar codes, can be ordered as components, portions of a subsystem ready for assembly, or parts of a plug-and-play module.

The new AS5170 and AS5171 automotive sensors from ams AG (Premstaetten, Austria) were developed as SEooC (Safety Element out of Context) devices, as defined in the ISO26262 functional safety standard. The magnetic position sensors have a System-in- Package (SiP) format. The space-saving package enables the placement of the sensor device in environments that are prohibitive to PCB-based packages.

Sensofar Metrology (Terrassa, Spain/Scottsdale, AZ) has released two new surface metrology systems. The S lynx, a non-contact 3D surface profiler, integrates confocal, interferometry, and focus variation techniques into the same sensor head. The S onix, an ultra-compact 3D surface sensor, is purpose-designed for high-speed in-line process measurement and process control tasks. The S onix sensor system features a single measurement technique: interferometric – VSI.

New wireless, batteryless limit switches from Steute Industrial Controls (Ridgefield, CT) include an internal electrodynamic energy generator. Displacement of the actuator generates power to send a uniquely coded signal to one or more compatible, easily-programmed receivers. If the limit switch does not receive the confirmation signal within 15 ms, a second signal is transmitted. The receiver accepts up to 10 discrete signals per channel.

On April 25, 2015, a magnitude - 7 . 8 earthquake caused widespread building damage in central Nepal. The Italian Space Agency’s COSMO-SkyMed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite acquired data over Kathmandu – a 50 x 50 km area – four days after the earthquake. Using the SAR information, Sang-Ho Yun and other researchers of the Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology produced a damage proxy map showing areas of potential building damage.

Tiny devices improve safety, comfort in ADASTwo decades have passed since automotive manufacturers began using the first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer to measure strong acceleration and trigger the deployment of airbags (see Figure 1). The inaugural inertial sensor paved the way for more widespread use of accelerometers in today’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

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